Dusan Writer On The Stories Started By Philip and Philip

... as in Philip Linden, of course, and alternate reality master Philip K. Dick.  I never thought to connect the two, but on his blog, Dusan Writer does so in a bravura essay, in which he describes Second Life as a "story box":

I don’t see a role-playing environment, and I don’t see an e-commerce engine... I see the possibilities for stories.

It's a powerful and productive metaphor, and worth a weekend read.  While you're at it, be sure to see an earlier, equally compelling essay from Rheta Shan that he references, which forcefully argues, "SL is all about immersion. SL doesn’t even begin to make sense otherwise."